Forgetful and Fruitful 

“Joseph named his firstborn Manasseh and said, ‘It is because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household.’ The second son he named Ephraim and said, ‘It is because God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering.'”

Genesis 41:51

When I was growing up, I was fascinated by the colorful twists and turns of Joseph’s story. And through decades of quadriplegia, it has remained one of my favorite parts of the Bible. At first, I identified with the part of Joseph’s story where he was stuck in prison. The confines of a wheelchair didn’t seem that different. But today as I celebrate another birthday, Joseph’s story resonates for quite another reason. 

Just consider the last part of Joseph’s story. His awful days in prison were a distant memory, as well as the pain of being sold into slavery by his brothers. It was all behind him. When Joseph considered all that God had brought him through, it even shaped how he named his children, Manasseh and Ephraim. Joseph named one son Manasseh to symbolize how God made him forget all his troubles. Joseph named the other one Ephraim to represent how God made him fruitful in the land of his suffering. 

The story about Joseph and his sons has grown on me over the years. Actually, the longer I think about it, the more his sons’ names have grown on me. I’m half-tempted to name one wheel on my wheelchair Manasseh, and the other Ephraim! My wheelchair is no longer a prison to me, instead my “wheels” are a reminder of all that God has brought me through—the Lord has honestly made me forget so many of my past troubles and dismal times. 

I’m not saying that I’ve arrived, and this wheelchair is easy. But the awfulness of those times and troubles has dissipated. What’s more, just as Joseph saw, God has given me the incredible privilege of being fruitful in the land of my suffering. For one thing, I’ve experienced abundant fruit, such as endurance and perseverance. But I can see the fruit of my labors, too. It brings such joy to sit in my wheelchair and see how God has used all that I’ve learned to encourage other people along the way.  

So today, on my birthday, I have received the best of gifts: God has made me forget my past sorrows and he has made me fruitful in my suffering. What more could a 74-year-old woman want?! 

God, I praise you that you are the kind of God who cultivates us in our suffering, working to bring fruitfulness in our lives. When I can’t yet see the fruit you are growing, help me to trust. Build my confidence in your plan to use my past sorrows to shape a blessed future for me.